Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

MSNBC and NPR’s common love affair with Common Core.

Common core certainly is controversial. It’s like the
evolution fight in Texas on steroids times ten nationwide. NPR and MSNBC, not
as education friendly as one might think, funded by the Walton’s and Education
Nation anybody, seemed to have recently taken a side and both seem to be
pro-common core.

Trymaine Lee recently asked in a MSNBC piece has the world
gone crazy over Common Core? His main point seems to be that since some nut-bag
Tea Party members are against it, and Charles Van Zant of the infamous, it is
here to turn your children gay comments, I am looking squarely at you, it must
be okay.

Where he does mention that finally some teacher organizations
after initially supporting it, gobs of Bill Gates money anyone, they have been
coming out against it, he doesn’t even mention how it doubles down on high
stakes testing, siphons money out of classrooms and ignores the effects of
poverty. All pretty big omissions, but he
covered that Van Zant thing pretty good so I guess all is well.

Then there is the NPR Common Core piece by Corey Turner. Most
of the piece is about how publishers tried to make a quick buck off of common
core and raced to put out bogus materials, but hey don’t blame common core, it’s
two thumbs up because a lot of governors signed on.

He doesn’t mentioned how at first many were first coerced through Race to the Top with
offers of money during the great recession when they were cash strapped and
unsure about the future and how since the recovery they have been blackmailed
by Arne Duncan and his no child left behind waivers. But gosh don’t you blame common core.

About two thirds of the way through the he stopped being a
journalist, thank you Bill and Melinda Gates foundation?, and became a shill
for common core instead.

I get it, nut-bags sell papers and drive ratings and you got
to butter the guys who gave you the bread but if we can’t count on them to give
the public the entire story, then who can we count on? Fox news? Sorry just
kidding.